Systems for separating copper from shredder residue

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for separating materials and recovery of valuable copper from shredded end-of-life vehicles and appliances are disclosed. Shredded matter, or ASR, is sent through a series of sorters before reaching a system that separates out copper bits. The system utilizes a pair of conveyor belts; one for de-watering and removing most of the plastic and glass particles and a second below the first for separating the copper bits. The second conveyor belt has a belt with a particular tooth pattern and material softness, and is set at a slight uphill incline angle. Water is delivered from the top down the slope and the belt successfully transports mostly just copper up and over a top edge to a collection bin. A cascading series of pairs of conveyors may be used to ensure nearly complete recovery of the copper.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Patent Application is a Continuation of Serial No. 17/374,495,filed Jul. 13, 2021, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,278,913.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHTS AND TRADE DRESS

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. This patent document may showand/or describe matter which is or may become trade dress of the owner.The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimilereproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure as it appears in thePatent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwisereserves all copyright and trade dress rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND Field

This disclosure relates to material separation, such as recovery ofmetals from end-of-life vehicles.

Description of the Related Art

Approximately 12-15 million vehicles reach the end of their use eachyear in just the United States alone. For economic and ecologicalreasons, recovery of the metal and other materials contained in thescrap vehicles is becoming more important. About 65% of a typical car ismade from steel, and the rest is made of other metals plus glass,rubber, foam and fiber.

The process of vehicle recycling typically first includes thepretreatment or depollution (e.g., removal of tires, battery, lubricantsand fuel), shredding the vehicle using an industrial shredder(essentially a large hammer mill), and then sorting the shredded piecesto recover valuable material.

In the automobile recycling industry, when an industrial shredderprocesses an automobile, the output material is commonly known asautomobile shredder residue, or ASR. For convenience, the outputmaterial from an industrial shredder will be called ASR, even if it isderived from articles other than automobiles.

Sorting is typically accomplished with a series of devices - firstthrough gross sorters and then magnetic separators to extract ferrousmetal pieces, for example, and then separators to extract non-ferrousmetal pieces. The removal of non-magnetic metals such as aluminum andcopper, as well as non-magnetic stainless steel, may be achieved usingan eddy current separator in which a current is induced in the metalpieces by a rapidly rotating rotor having magnets with alternatingpolarity. The rotating magnetic fields create alternating currentswithin the metal pieces which create electromagnetic fields of theirown. These opposing magnetic fields repel each other, causing thenon-ferrous metal pieces to jump off the rotating conveyor belt intoadjacent collection bins.

The rates at which the material separators work can limit productivityand thus profitability. Recovering valuable copper wire, in particular,is a difficult task. Other than Eddy separators, one conventionaltechnique for recovering copper wire from the remaining shred includesfirst using an air table which creates an up flow of air so that glassand other light particles float on top, making that material easier toseparate. The resulting denser materials are then ball milled and passedthrough a series of filters to separate the fine particles (e.g., smallplastic, sand) from the larger metallic particles, typically copper.Another method that is used is wet shaker tables, which involve avibrating table having a rough surface which is inclined at a slightangle. By passing water downward along the table and vibrating the tableat the same time in a rotary fashion, copper wire can be urged upwardover the top edge of the table while lighter materials are washeddownward.

Conventional processes recover perhaps 10-20% of the copper wire in theshredded flow. Increasing the yield of copper recovery can be quitevaluable.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a multi-stage rollersystem for recovery of copper from shredded waste, or ASR.

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are perspective and elevational views of a simplesystem for recovering copper from shredded waste, with FIG. 2Billustrating exemplary belt incline angles.

FIG. 3 is an enlargement of a portion of a copper recovery conveyor beltused in the system, and FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are perspective and planviews of the belt.

FIG. 4 is a schematic flow diagram of the simple system of FIG. 2A inuse.

FIGS. 5A-5C are elevational and perspective views of another multi-stagesystem for recovery of copper from shredded waste including a series ofsimple systems or modular units, such as illustrated in FIG. 2A, stackedon top of one another.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow diagram of the multi-stage stacked system inuse.

Throughout this disclosure, elements appearing in figures are assignedreference designators. An element that is not described in conjunctionwith a figure may be presumed to have the same characteristics andfunction as a previously-described element having the same referencedesignator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods for separation of materials are disclosed, andespecially for recovery of copper from end-of-life vehicles andappliances. In vehicle recycling systems, the following are certaindesirable attributes, in no particular order: high speed of processing;high quality of separation - each type of metal, and non-metals; lowenvironmental impact; low need for manual labor.

A technique to recover copper scrap from shredded waste, such as fromvehicles and appliances is disclosed. Tests of the technique prove thatup to 80-90% of the copper wire in the shredded flow can be recovered,representing a four-fold increase from previous methods. In terms oflarge scrap recovery operations, this increased yield can result inincreased revenues of millions of dollars per year.

Systems and methods for separating materials and recovery of valuablecopper from shredded ASR derived from end-of-life vehicles andappliances are disclosed. ASR comprises a mixture of individual, solidpieces of varying shape, size, mass, specific gravity, composition,density and color. Variations are amongst ASR pieces and may be withinASR pieces. ASR pieces have variations in external shape, which is oftenirregular but may be regular, and varying surface area. The size of ASRpieces varies considerably, typically from approximately five inches indiameter or more to microscopic. Likewise, some pieces are compacthaving relatively uniform dimensions in all directions, while others areelongated or planar. An individual ASR piece may be comprised of one ormore of ferrous metal, non-ferrous metal (e.g., copper, aluminum), metalalloys, glass, fiber, rubber, liquids, plastics and dirt. The characterof ASR pieces in any one load from a shredder depends greatly on thetype of vehicle or other material being shredded. ASR pieces vary incolor.

The sizes and shapes of the various ASR pieces influence the process ofseparating heavier from lighter pieces. That is, any one load of ASRpieces has certain characteristics that may differ from other loads. Forinstance, some loads are predominately lighter pieces, or larger sizes,or conversely may include a greater proportion of large ferrous metalpieces. The character of the ASR pieces affects the rate and efficiencyof separation, which in turn may be accommodated by adjusting the fluidflow rates, conveyor incline angles, belt speeds, etc. Knowledge of theASR character can thus be translated into optimum separator parametersso that the throughput is maximized. As used herein, the terms “heavier”and “lighter” refer to relatively greater and lesser specific gravity,respectively. Within the system, absolute weight is less important thanbuoyancy and friction.

Shredded matter, or ASR, is sent through a series of sorters beforereaching a system that separates out copper bits. The system utilizes apair of conveyor belts; one for dewatering and removing most of theplastic and glass particles and a second below the first for separatingthe copper bits. The second conveyor belt has a belt with a particulartooth pattern and material softness, and is set at a slight uphillincline angle. Water is delivered from the top down the slope and thebelt successfully transports mostly just copper up and over a top edgeto a collection bin. A cascading series of pairs of conveyors may beused to ensure nearly complete recovery of the copper.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , there is shown a schematic diagram of amulti-stage sluice belt conveyor system 20 for recovery of copper fromshredded waste, or ASR. The system 20 includes a macro separator 22having a belt 24 onto which ASR is first deposited. The macro separator22 is oriented at a slight horizontal angle with the rollers causing thebelt 24 to convey upward at a first angle of inclination. One or morewater jets 26 are directed to an upper portion of the belt 24 such thatthe water passes downward over the inclined belt and eventually into awaste container 28. The effect of the downwardly flowing water along theupwardly moving belt 24 carries primarily lighter material such aswater, glass and plastic downward to be deposited into the wastecontainer 28. At the same time, heavier material such as copper istransported upward with the moving belt 24 until it spills over theupper end and drops down a chute 30.

The macro separator 22 eliminates most of the lighter material from theoverall ASR. The angle of the belt 24 is slight enough, typically 0-4°,such as between 2.5°-3.0° from the horizontal, such that the heaviermaterial is not inordinately affected by the flowing water and mostlytransported over the top edge of the separator 22. A relatively largeamount of water flow through the jets 26 may be used to better carryaway the lighter material. The physical characteristics of the belt 24may vary, from simple flat belts to ones with ribs, cleats, or the like.Indeed, rather than a conveyor belt, the macro separator 22 may be ashaker table, or other type of light/heavy material separator known inthe art. The macro separator 22 is utilized mainly to remove non-coppercomponents of the ASR.

From the macro separator 22, the material that carries over the upperend of the belt 24 falls down the chute 30 onto a midpoint of a firstcopper recovery conveyor 32 a having a belt 34. In the illustratedembodiment, the multistage sluice belt conveyor system 20 incorporatesmultiple copper recovery conveyors in series leading to a copperrecovery bin 36. In particular, the system 20 has three copper recoveryconveyors 32 a, 32 b, 32 c arranged in a downwardly cascading seriesleading to the copper recovery bin 36. Each of the copper recoveryconveyors 32 a, 32 b, 32 c may be identical, and identically orientedand operated, or the conveyors may incorporate differences designed tooptimize the copper recovery. For the purpose of brevity, each of thecopper recovery conveyors 32 a, 32 b, 32 c will be deemed to beidentical such that a description of one applies to the others.Moreover, although three copper recovery conveyors 32 a, 32 b, 32 c areshown, just two, or more than three may also be utilized.

Each of the copper recovery conveyors 32 a, 32 b, 32 c includes the belt34 which moves upward along the angle of incline. The belt 34 isdesirably angled between 0°-15. Water jets 38 supply a constant flow ofwater downward along the belt 34 which acts to carry remaining lightermaterial downward to a lower chute 40. For instance, a water flow of 150gpm (gallons per minute) may be utilized. Conversely, the belt 34 isdesigned to catch copper scrap such as wire and carry it upwards overthe top end of the belt 34 to an upper chute 42. The copper which dropsinto the upper chute 42 eventually falls into the copper recovery bin36. A brush (not shown) may be situated at the point at which the belt34 turns 180° under the conveyor to help knock off the copper strands.

Each of the lower chute 40 transports the lighter waste and whatevercopper remains to a mid-point of the next copper recovery conveyor 32downward in the series. The process continues until the copper contentof the waste being sluiced downward along each conveyor is minimized, orreaches a desired level.

To obtain a desired particular character of shredded waste and desiredcopper yield, the copper recovery conveyors may be adjusted, such asangle of incline, speed of the belt and waterflow. An increase of angleof incline results in more lighter pieces tumbling downward and thus thewater flow may be reduced and/or the belt speed increased. Conversely, adecrease in angle of incline may necessitate greater water flow and/ordecrease in belt speed. An increase in belt speed likewise may requireless water and/or a shallower inclination angle, while a decrease inbelt speed results in the opposite. An increase in water flow could becoupled with a shallower inclination angle and higher belt speed, and adecrease in water flow may justify raising the inclination angle and/orlowering the belt speed.

Other parameters that may be adjusted include temperature of the belts,temperature of the ASR, air flow, air temperature, water turbulence, airturbulence, conveyor motion (e.g., swaying up and down or side to side),application of electric and/or magnetic fields, surface quality of thebelts (static and/or dynamic). These parameters may be under automatedcontrol to adapt the system to the specific quality of ASR beingprocessed. For example, optical and other sensors may be used to assessthe ASR and, in combination with atmospheric conditions, marketconditions (e.g., value of different materials and difficulty and costof processing and shipping), the system can be dynamically adjusted toyield desired output. Parametric adjustment may follow a hysteresisloop. Input, output and control parameters may be absolute, relativeand/or ranged.

One example for ASR which results in a good copper yield is between10-15° incline angle of the copper recovery conveyor 32 with a waterflow through the jets 38 of between about 50-500 gpm, and a belt speedof between about 50-100 feet/minute. These parameters may be adjustedbased on the character of the incoming ASR, and the different conveyors32 a, 32 b, 32 c in series may be operated with the same or differentparameters.

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are perspective and elevational views of a simplesystem 50, or modular unit, for recovering copper from ASR, with FIG. 2Billustrating exemplary belt incline angles. The simple system 50includes a macro separator 52 having a belt 54 which is used primarilyfor removing lighter components of the ASR. The macro separator 52 ismounted within an outer framework 56, specifically hanging from an upperbracket 58 on a pair of adjustable hinges 60. As seen in FIG. 2B, theincline angle of the upper surface of the belt 54 is indicated as α. Thebelt 54 rotates on a pair of rollers 62, an upper one of which is drivenby a motor 64.

The outer framework 56 also supports a copper recovery conveyor 70approximately centered underneath the upper end of the macro separator52. The copper recovery conveyor 70 may be supported on a pair ofadjustable hinges 72 fixed to a lower bracket 74. The copper recoveryconveyor 70 also has a pair of end rollers 76 around which a belt 78rotates. A motor 80 drives the upper end roller 76. As seen in FIG. 2B,the incline angle of the upper surface of the belt 78 is indicated as β,such as between about 0-15°. This simple system 50 including the macroseparator 52 and copper recovery conveyor 70 mounted in framework 56provides a convenient rectangular modular unit for a larger copperseparation system, as will be described below. In one embodiment, thelength of the modular unit defined by the outer framework 56 is about 12feet, with the height and depth proportional thereto, such as between4-5 feet each. The dimensions of one of the modules can be adjusted upor down depending on the capacity desired and the space available.

FIG. 3 is an enlargement of a portion of a copper recovery conveyor belt78 used in the system, and FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective and planviews of the belt. Various belts have been utilized, and the particularbelt 78 shown should not be considered limiting. However, in general,for greater copper recovery the belt 78 should be formed of anelastomeric material with a particular durometer and have multiplecleats 82 projecting upward from a planar base 84.

As seen in the enlargement in FIG. 3 , each cleat 82 comprises asawtooth or wedge-shaped projection having a tall leading end 86 thattapers down along an upper surface 88 to a trailing end 90 at the levelof the planar base 84. The sidewalls 92 are thus generally triangular.In one embodiment, the cleats 82 have a height at the leading end 86 ofabout 0.25 inch, though other sizes are contemplated. The belt 78 may bereinforced with embedded fibers extending longitudinally throughout fordurability. As best seen in FIG. 3B, the cleats 82 are distributedevenly in rows 94 extending laterally across the base 84, with thecleats in one row being laterally offset from the cleats in the adjacentrows. One exemplary belt 78 that has proven effective is made of 2-plyPolyvinyl Chloride (PVC) with a durometer of 50 as measured on theA-scale, with cleats 82 that are 0.25 inches tall, 0.25 inches wide and0.375 inches long (from leading to trailing ends).

FIG. 4 is a schematic flow diagram of the simple system 50 of FIG. 2A inuse. Shredded waste from automobiles or appliances is dropped at amidpoint of belt 54 of the macro separator 52. Water from jets 100 isdirected to an upper portion of the belt 54 which is slightly angled, asexplained above. The water runs down the belt 54, which at the same timeis translating upward, and the water carries with it a majority of thelighter material, such as fines, glass, plastic, and the like. Thiswaste material is then deposited in a waste receptacle 102. The belt 54catches most of the copper and other heavy material that is not washedaway by the water, and transports it over the top end of the separator52. The top end is positioned over a midpoint of the copper recoveryconveyor 70, and the dropping material may be guided by a chute (notshown).

The heavy material that has been dropped at the midpoint of the copperrecovery conveyor 70 is then acted on by a sheet of water from jets 104.Because of the incline of the conveyor 70, the water travels down alongthe conveyor belt 78 and carries with it a majority of the lightermaterial that remains in the waste stream. The cleats 82 (FIG. 3 ) onthe belt 78 catch a majority of the copper scrap such as small bits ofwire and the like from the waste stream and transport it over the topend of the conveyor 70, where it drops into a copper recovery bin 106.This simple system 50 with just a single initial separator 52 and asingle copper recovery conveyor 70 may be adequate to recover a majorityof the copper, though as will be explained below, a cascading series ofsuch simple systems 50 may be utilized for great recovery.

FIGS. 5A-5C are elevational and perspective views of another multi-stagesystem 120 for recovery of copper from shredded waste including a seriesof simple systems or modular units 122 such as illustrated at 50 in FIG.2A stacked on top of one another. The various components of the modularunits 122 remain the same as described above, and thus will not befurther detailed.

The framework of each of the modular units 122 desirably stacks easilyon top of one another and can thus be secured together with commonbolts, welds and the like. It should be understood that one or more ofthe systems 120 with multiple modular units 122 as shown may bepreassembled and packed in a shipping container for delivery to the enduser. Further, as will be appreciated, customized systems 120 with avariable number of the modular units 122 may be assembled and deliveredas needed.

Each of the modular units 122 includes a macro separator 124, such as aconveyor belt described above, and a copper recovery conveyor 126arranged below it. The macro separator 124 and copper recovery conveyor126 are both mounted within the framework so as to enable adjustments tothe incline angle. A series of water piping 130 is provided for eachmodular unit 122 to supply water to the water jets, as described above.Preferably, the water piping 130 for each unit 122 connects in serieswith the piping of the adjacent unit so that only a single source ofwater for the entire system 120 is needed.

Further, each modular unit includes a plurality of chutes for catchingthe gradually refined waste products. As seen in FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C,under the lower end of each macro separator 124, a waste chute 132 ispositioned having a relatively large mouth which tapers down to anoutflow end 134. The outflow end 134 of each modular unit 122 isdirected to empty into an inlet funnel-like chute 136 leading to thewaste chute 132 of the next modular unit down, and so on. Although notshown, a bin underneath the entire system 50 may be provided to catchall of the lighter material from each stage of the operation. As wasexplained previously, the upper end of each macro separator 124 ispositioned over a midpoint of the copper recovery conveyor 126immediately below it, and therefore no chutes are needed in this regard.

In a similar manner, as seen in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, each copperrecovery conveyor 126 has a waste chute 140 underneath its lower endwhich conveys lighter material which washes off the conveyor downward tothe midpoint of a macro separator 124 in the next adjacent modular unit122. An auxiliary chute 142 may be provided above the macro separator124 to further guide this waste stream. Underneath the upper end of eachcopper recovery conveyor 126 is a recovery chute 144 that guides thevaluable copper recovered downward. Each successive modular unit 122 hasa vertical recovery duct 146 which receives the copper from above, to becombined with any new copper recovered, and channels it furtherdownward. Again, a final copper recovery bin (not shown) may be providedunderneath the lowest modular unit 122.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow diagram of the multi-stage stacked system 120in use. The various components described above are numbered, with theaddition of a series of water jets 150, 152 for each modular unit 122.

An overhead chute or conveyor deposits shredded waste or ASR onto themidpoint of the upper macro separator 124. The water jets 150 wash thelighter material downward along the inclined belt of the macro separator124 so as to fall into the adjacent waste chute 132. Each successivemacro separator 124 deposits its lighter waste into the waste chute 132in that particular module 122, until the combined lightweight wastefalls into a collection bin shown at the bottom left in FIG. 6 .

The heavier material including copper that is carried over the upper endof the macro separator 124 falls directly onto a midpoint of the firstcopper recovery conveyor 126. As mentioned, the belt of the conveyor 126is inclined at a particular angle between 0-15° and water from the jets152 washes downward along its surface. From there, any lighter materialfalls downward to be guided to a midpoint of the macro separator 124 inthe next modular unit 122 below. This is aided by the waste chute 140and auxiliary chute 142, such as seen in FIG. 5C. Heavier materialincluding copper strands and bits of wire are not affected by the wateras much and are carried upward on the belt of the conveyor 126. Thatheavier material then falls into the waiting recovery chute 144 to becombined with the recovered copper another heavier material from theother units 122. Eventually, the combined heavier material is depositedinto a recovery bin shown at the bottom right in FIG. 6 .

Tests of the systems such as shown at 120 prove that up to 80-90% of thecopper wire in the shredded flow can be recovered, representing afour-fold increase from previous methods of up to 20%. A series of threemodular units 122 is believed to be desirable to reach this yield,though more or less may be used as needed.

Closing Comments

Throughout this description, the embodiments and examples shown shouldbe considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus andprocedures disclosed or claimed. Although many of the examples presentedherein involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements,it should be understood that those acts and those elements may becombined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives. With regard toflowcharts, additional and fewer steps may be taken, and the steps asshown may be combined or further refined to achieve the methodsdescribed herein. Acts, elements and features discussed only inconnection with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from asimilar role in other embodiments.

As used herein, “plurality” means two or more. As used herein, a “set”of items may include one or more of such items. As used herein, whetherin the written description or the claims, the terms “comprising”,“including”, “carrying”, “having”, “containing”, “involving”, and thelike are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including butnot limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and“consisting essentially of”, respectively, are closed or semi-closedtransitional phrases with respect to claims. Use of ordinal terms suchas “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claimelement does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order ofone claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of amethod are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish oneclaim element having a certain name from another element having a samename (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claimelements. As used herein, “and/or” means that the listed items arealternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of thelisted items.

It is claimed:
 1. A separator system for separating copper from shreddedwaste, comprising: a macro separator configured to perform an initialsegregation of lighter material from heavier material in a stream ofshredded waste; at least two copper recovery conveyors disposed belowthe macro separator, each copper recovery conveyor including a recoveryconveyor belt inclined at an upward angle of between 0-15°, wherein therecovery conveyor belt is rotated by a motor so that a top surface movesupward along the upward angle, the recovery conveyor belt being formedof an elastomeric material having a planar base and a series ofdistributed wedge-shaped cleats projecting upward therefrom that carryheavier material including copper over an upper end of the recoveryconveyor belt, and a source of water at an upper end of the recoveryconveyor belt to cause a constant flow of water downward over the top ofthe recovery conveyor belt so as to wash lighter material over a lowerend of the recovery conveyor belt, wherein there is one macro separatorassociated with and placed above each copper recovery conveyor in thesystem and positioned to drop heavier material onto a mid-point of theassociated copper recovery conveyor, and each copper recovery conveyoris positioned over a next lower macro separator to drop lighter materialonto a mid-point of the next lower macro separator.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the cleats comprise wedge-shaped elements that projectupward from the planar base with a tall leading end tapering downward toa trailing end at the level of the planar base.
 3. The system of claim2, wherein the cleats are arranged in linear rows extending laterallyacross the recovery conveyor belt, and wherein cleats in any one row arelaterally offset from cleats in adjacent rows.
 4. The system of claim 3,wherein the elastomeric material of the recovery conveyor belt is 2-plyPVC with a durometer of 50 as measured on the A-scale.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the elastomeric material of the recovery conveyor beltis 2-ply PVC with a durometer of 50 as measured on the A-scale.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein each copper recovery conveyor is adjustablymounted such that the upward angle is adjustable.
 7. The system of claim1, wherein each pair of one macro separator and one copper recoveryconveyor is mounted in a framework to form a modular unit, and wherein aplurality of modular units are stacked on top of each other.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the source of water comprises a plurality ofjets distributed laterally across the recovery conveyor belt andconfigured to supply a water flow through of between about 50-500 gpm.9. The system of claim 8, wherein the motor is configured to rotate therecovery conveyor belt at a belt speed of between about 50-100feet/minute.
 10. A separator system for separating copper from shreddedwaste, comprising: a macro separator configured to perform an initialsegregation of lighter material from heavier material in a stream ofshredded waste, the macro separator comprising a rotating conveyor beltinclined at an upward angle and having a source of water at an upper endof the conveyor belt to cause a downward flow of water over the top ofthe conveyor belt; a copper recovery conveyor associated with anddisposed below the macro separator and positioned to receive materialdropped from an upper end of the macro separator, the copper recoveryconveyor including a recovery conveyor belt inclined at an upward angle,wherein the recovery conveyor belt is rotated by a motor so that a topsurface moves upward along the upward angle, the recovery conveyor beltbeing formed of an elastomeric material having a planar base and aseries of distributed wedge-shaped cleats projecting upward therefrom,wherein the wedge-shaped elements project upward from the planar basewith a tall leading end tapering downward to a trailing end at the levelof the planar base, and a second source of water at an upper end of therecovery conveyor belt to cause a constant flow of water downward overthe top of the recovery conveyor belt.
 11. The system of claim 10,wherein the cleats are arranged in linear rows extending laterallyacross the recovery conveyor belt, and wherein cleats in any one row arelaterally offset from cleats in adjacent rows.
 12. The system of claim11, wherein the elastomeric material of the recovery conveyor belt is2-ply PVC with a durometer of 50 as measured on the A-scale.
 13. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the elastomeric material of the recoveryconveyor belt is 2-ply PVC with a durometer of 50 as measured on theA-scale.
 14. The system of claim 10, wherein the copper recoveryconveyor is adjustably mounted such that the upward angle is adjustable.15. The system of claim 14, wherein the recovery conveyor is inclinedbetween 0-15°, and the macro separator conveyor belt is inclined between0-4°.
 16. The system of claim 10, wherein there are a plurality of macroseparators each associated with and placed above a different associatedcopper recovery conveyor and positioned to drop heavier material onto amid-point of the associated copper recovery conveyor, and each copperrecovery conveyor is positioned over a next lower macro separator todrop lighter material onto a mid-point of the next lower macroseparator.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein each pair of one macroseparator and one copper recovery conveyor is mounted in a framework toform a modular unit, and wherein a plurality of modular units arestacked on top of each other.
 18. The system of claim 10, wherein thesecond source of water comprises a plurality of jets distributedlaterally across the recovery conveyor belt and configured to supply awater flow through of between about 50-500 gpm.
 19. The system of claim18, wherein the motor is configured to rotate the recovery conveyor beltat a belt speed of between about 50-100 feet/minute.
 20. A separatorsystem for separating copper from shredded waste, comprising: a macroseparator configured to perform an initial segregation of lightermaterial from heavier material in a stream of shredded waste; at leasttwo copper recovery conveyors disposed below the macro separator, eachcopper recovery conveyor including a recovery conveyor belt inclined atan upward angle of between 0-15°, wherein the recovery conveyor belt isrotated by a motor so that a top surface moves upward along the upwardangle, the recovery conveyor belt being formed of an elastomericmaterial having a planar base and a series of distributed wedge-shapedcleats projecting upward therefrom that carry heavier material includingcopper over an upper end of the recovery conveyor belt, wherein thecleats comprise wedge-shaped elements that project upward from theplanar base with a tall leading end tapering downward to a trailing endat the level of the planar base, and a source of water at an upper endof the recovery conveyor belt to cause a constant flow of water downwardover the top of the recovery conveyor belt so as to wash lightermaterial over a lower end of the recovery conveyor belt.
 21. A separatorsystem for separating copper from shredded waste, comprising: a macroseparator configured to perform an initial segregation of lightermaterial from heavier material in a stream of shredded waste; at leasttwo copper recovery conveyors disposed below the macro separator, eachcopper recovery conveyor including a recovery conveyor belt inclined atan upward angle of between 0-15°, wherein the recovery conveyor belt isrotated by a motor so that a top surface moves upward along the upwardangle, the recovery conveyor belt being formed of an elastomericmaterial having a planar base and a series of distributed wedge-shapedcleats projecting upward therefrom that carry heavier material includingcopper over an upper end of the recovery conveyor belt, the elastomericmaterial being 2-ply PVC with a durometer of 50 as measured on theA-scale, and a source of water at an upper end of the recovery conveyorbelt to cause a constant flow of water downward over the top of therecovery conveyor belt so as to wash lighter material over a lower endof the recovery conveyor belt.
 22. A separator system for separatingcopper from shredded waste, comprising: a macro separator configured toperform an initial segregation of lighter material from heavier materialin a stream of shredded waste; at least two copper recovery conveyorsdisposed below the macro separator, each copper recovery conveyorincluding a recovery conveyor belt inclined at an upward angle ofbetween 0-15°, wherein the recovery conveyor belt is rotated by a motorso that a top surface moves upward along the upward angle, the recoveryconveyor belt being formed of an elastomeric material having a planarbase and a series of distributed wedge-shaped cleats projecting upwardtherefrom that carry heavier material including copper over an upper endof the recovery conveyor belt, and a source of water at an upper end ofthe recovery conveyor belt to cause a constant flow of water downwardover the top of the recovery conveyor belt so as to wash lightermaterial over a lower end of the recovery conveyor belt, wherein thesource of water comprises a plurality of jets distributed laterallyacross the recovery conveyor belt and configured to supply a water flowthrough of between about 50-500 gpm.